April 2, 2007

What is she painting on the bananasthat require her to use a respirator?Photo: La Prensa, Honduras

Sharon (A cup of coffee blog) from New Zealand wrote about an interesting article about Honduras from Ireland of all places. Called "Life in the banana republic," it not only discusses workers in the banana industry but also workers in the maquilas (factories) in the ‘free-trade zones’:

"The country’s sweatshop-friendly industrial culture helps to ensure that Honduras remains one of the poorest countries in impoverished Central America."

"Sweatshop-friendly" is the right term. New businesses operating in Honduras pay no taxes for the first 10 years. Just recently the government of Honduras agreed to reduce the minimum daily wage by L.20 for the next ten years for companies who want to operate new maquilas in the southern part of the country.

The government, despite protests, agreed to a minimum wage of L.86 per day (US$4.55). Some of the companies who have indicated interest in the new Pacific Free Zone are Lovable, Fruit of the Loom, Bay Island, and Dickies. The area involved includes Choluteca, Valle, El Paraíso, Olancho y Santa Bárbara.

Welcome to my Blogicito — spanglish for 'little blog'. I am a US expatriate who has been living here in La Ceiba, Honduras, with my Catracho husband since 2001 and blogging about Honduras and my expatriate life since 2006.

The Blogicito includes a wide variety of topics from everyday life to cultural differences to Honduran politics and corruption. One way to find what you are looking for is to browse the 'Topics' list or the monthly lists of articles under 'La Gringa's archives' below. Looking for something more specific? Use the search box at the upper left (for complete articles) or the Google blog search below (for a list of summaries — usually more manageable).